The father's exercise can improve the health of children in adulthood: study

For men planning to start a family, going to the gym can help their children maintain a healthy metabolism.

Although the diet and exercise habits of a pregnant woman can affect the health of her baby, a new study on mice suggests that fathers' lifestyle habits prior to conception can also affect the health of children in adulthood.

The findings explored that paternal exercise had a significant impact on the metabolic health of offspring until adulthood.

The offspring of exercise mice showed improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight, and decreased body fat at adulthood.

On the other hand, male sedentary mice that ate a high-fat diet had the following characteristics: poor metabolic health and increased glucose intolerance.

However, it was found that physical exercise mitigated the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

"This work is a milestone in the learning of metabolic diseases and prevention at the cellular level," said K. Craig Kent of Ohio State University in the United States.

"The offspring of fathers fed a high-fat diet had done less well, so it was more glucose-intolerant, but exercise neutralized that effect." When Dad did exercise, even with a high-fat diet, we have seen an improvement in the metabolic health of its adult children, "added Kristin Stanford, a researcher at the university.

Importantly, it has been found that exercise alters the genetic expression of the father's sperm that suppresses adverse effects on food and transfer to offspring, researchers said in the survey. article published in the journal Diabetes.

The development of type 2 diabetes and impaired metabolic health have been linked to parents' poor diet, and it is increasingly evident that fathers play an important role in obesity and metabolic programming. their offspring.

"We are now figuring out whether the exercise of both parents has even greater effects on improving metabolism and the overall health of the offspring." If this were translated to humans this would be extremely important for the health of the next generation, "said Laurie Goodyear, a postdoctoral Joslin Diabetes Center in the United States.